Run with the Wind
by Imbrii
Summary: [High school real world AU] While attending a track meet with his siblings, Gaara meets a weird boy in leg warmers. Friendship sometimes comes about in strange ways. Slice of life. [LeexGaara, various] Update: ch8 and 9, complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Notes:** I usually hate schoolfic because most are thinly veiled excuses to ignore canon, but found myself intrigued by the idea of the Naruto characters a bit less traumatized than their canon selves. I also was curious about ways to incorporate canon elements into our world without devolving into melodrama or making it unrealistic. Hopefully I've succeeded in keeping it all together. I decided to go with a more American-based school system since it's less rigidly structured than Japan's. This is rather slice-of-life, covering small scenes over a long period of time. It's turned into a rather long series, many of which will never be posted here since they don't follow a linear chronology and I'd rather have everything contained in one story. Anyway, I'll post what I post and leave it at that. This note is far too long.

Vague **spoilers **through the Sasuke Retrieval Arc.

* * *

Temari comes home from her track meet ranting about how horribly _annoying_ Leaf school kids are. She's angry the boys' team lost to a kid wearing _legwarmers_ with bad hair. "Sand is an elite private school, why the hell is a _nobody_ from the public schools showing us up?" 

Kankurou ignores her and continues memorizing his lines for _Hamlet_, not wanting to screw up his first time performing on the stage instead of behind it. Gaara ignores her and flips through his Art textbook, lingering over pictures of Dale Chihuly's work. Once she's done ranting, Kankurou mollifies her by saying they'll attend the next meet so they can all make fun of the weird-looking kid. Gaara shrugs, which is as close to agreement as he gets.

* * *

Kankurou has to admit the guy _is _weird, with the legwarmers and bowl cut hair and massive eyebrows. What's scarier is he looks suspiciously like the track coach. Curious, he slides up beside a dumb-looking blond kid from Leaf. 

"That guy in legwarmers your friend?"

"Yeah, that's Lee! He was on my soccer team, but he kinda sucks at team sports, so they put him on track. He's _really _good at running. I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Hey, you're from Sand, right? What's it like? Is it fun there?"

_Does he know how to shut up?_ Ignoring the previous barrage of questions, Kankurou fires back his own. "Is he related to the coach?"

"Nope, but he was a latchkey kid and spent a lot of time with some of the teachers after school, and he and Guy-sensei get along really well. Oh, Sasuke and Sakura-chan are here. Gotta go!" The kid runs off like a rabbit on speed.

_No tact whatsoever. Typical public school garbage._ Thinks Kankurou as he walks back to sit beside his brother. _Informative, though._

Gaara sits on the sidelines under an umbrella despite the clear weather and reads _House of Leaves_, ignoring his brother's attempts at conversation.

"Come on, Gaara. At least _look_ at the guy Temari kept going on about!"

Eyes darkened heavily with liner flick up to the figure in green shorts and orange legwarmers at the starting line.

The gun goes off. Lee doesn't run, but _flies_ and Gaara's eyes follow. He wins the 500-meter dash with a good 3 meters on second place. He runs and jumps around, whooping excitedly until his track coach punches him in the shoulder.

"He may be a nutcase, but he's _damn_ fast," Kankurou grudgingly admits and wanders off to wish Temari luck.

Gaara looks away from that smiling face and decides he doesn't like Lee on principal. He goes back to reading, ignoring the girls' relay races. When somebody sits down beside him, Gaara assumes it's Kankurou and keeps on reading.

"Hello," says an unfamiliar voice.

The redhead starts and looks up to find the runner sitting beside him, grinning.

"I'm Rock Lee."

Not sure how best to make him go away, Gaara answers, "Sabakuno Gaara," before going back to his book.

"You looked rather lonely, sitting up here by yourself. Are you with anyone?"

"My brother and sister." He doesn't look up from his book.

"Oh, are they in the race?"

"She is," replies Gaara, growing agitated. "Why are you talking to me?"

Lee blinks. "I already told you—you looked lonely."

"I'm not. Go away." He ignores Lee's hurt face.

"There's plenty of people in the stands on the other side, but you're over here and reading all by yourself. That sounds lonely to me!"

Gaara just glares this time. It doesn't work.

"It won't kill you to talk to somebody, you know."

He shoots upright and begins stomping down the bleachers, but a hand stops him from going too far.

"Hey, that's not very nice!"

The younger boy snarls, jerks his hand away and pushes Lee, not caring that the track star tumbles down the remaining benches until he hits the ground, not caring that people shout as he walks away.

Several hours later, grounded and still shaking from his father's angry tirade, Gaara realizes he forgot his book.


	2. Chapter 2

Gaara stares at the wall as he has for most of the past week. Grounded means no clubs, no computer, no books, and no friends—not that he has any of those. His reputation as a mentally unstable reclusive artist keeps just about everyone away, and he likes it that way. His siblings are mad at him for making everyone whisper behind their backs again. It's easier to be alone than deal with people.

In a few hours, his father will be back, and he'll be screamed at as his father takes out the lingering rage of losing his wife because Gaara was born. He likes reminding his son of how Karura cursed him before she died. After hearing it so many times, there is only numbness. Yashamaru had—_don't think about it._

The wall is still the same color. He's already done his homework. The doorbell rings and it takes him a moment to recognize the sound. Normally he'd let it ring until the person goes away, but it beats staring at the wall.

Gaara opens the door and his eyes go wide.

"Hello," greets Lee, leaning on a crutch.

Gaara almost shuts the door in his face, but is still in shock. Instead, he steps back to let him in.

Looking around appreciatively, Lee comments, "You have a very nice house. It's _huge_!" He doesn't add that it's paradise compared to where he lives—his uncle's rundown shoebox masquerading as an apartment.

The redhead stares at the crutch.

"Oh, this? I only twisted my ankle, the fall wasn't nearly as bad as it looked. No hard feelings at all. I'm sorry that I bothered you." Lee's smile broke. "I seem to bother people really easily, I forget that sometimes. I know what it's like to be lonely…" He waves his free hand. "But don't worry about it! Everything's okay."

Gaara's eyes move to the large purple bruise on the older boy's shoulder, then to his face. "You're not angry?"

"No, of course not! I mean, I must have been really rude for you to have pushed me like that, and it's only a sprained ankle." Lee smiles again, wide and honest.

He thinks about what it must mean for a boy who was bad at sports to _finally_ win at something, to be the track star and have that taken away. He avoids looking at Lee, not wanting to own up to the emotions inside him as they demand voice. "I'm sorry."

"It's water under the bridge, no worries! Oh and here's your book back." Lee struggles to fetch the book from his pack without overbalancing.

"Come into my room and sit down, it'll be easier." Gaara wonders why he's offering. Not even his siblings come into his room most of the time. Even so, he doesn't take back his offer and walks to the end of the long hallway. "In here."

Lee freezes once in the doorway, mouth open, unable to believe how much glass is in one space. Ornate lamps, paperweights, figurines, fixtures, and vases of every color and shape cover almost every available bit of surface area. "They're beautiful!"

Black-rimmed eyes stare at him.

"Oh, right, the book." He awkwardly hobbles over to the desk, the only place to sit besides the bed, and struggles out of his backpack. Pulling out the well-thumbed copy, he hands it to Gaara. "I'm sorry that I didn't get it to you sooner. I had trouble finding your address."

"Thank you." The words are slow in coming, rusty, as if they haven't seen much use.

Lee smiles again. "You're welcome!" Now he isn't sure what to say, so he struggles to get himself back up.

"Stay a while. You came all this way." Gaara isn't sure why he offers. He's grounded; he's not supposed to have friends over. But Lee isn't a friend, so it doesn't count. He tries to remember what Temari does when she invites people over.

"Do you want something to drink?" It's awkward, stilted.

"Ice water would be nice,"

Gaara stares at Lee, not sure what to do. Soon enough Lee starts talking about nothing to fill the silence, and he listens for an entire hour.

Lee's eyes drift over to the clock on the nightstand. "Ack! Look at the time! I'm going to be late making dinner!"

The redhead holds Lee's crutch and the door for him, staring at the black-haired boy for several moments.

"Come back some time." He isn't sure what makes him say that.

"I will! It's a promise!" Lee gives him a thumbs-up and continues on his way.

When he returns to his room, a book he doesn't recognize is lying on the floor by his desk. Gaara sighs irritably.


	3. Chapter 3

Two books, three folders, and a pair of socks later, they stop forgetting things at each other's houses and no longer need the excuse. Gaara's no longer grounded, but skips Art Club to spend time with Lee anyway, although not every day. The Leaf student does part-time jobs to help his uncle pay rent, mostly manual labor, and goes to track club once his injury heals. He jogs 5 kilometers before school every day once the crutches are gone, cutting down from the normal 10. 

When their hands accidentally brush reaching for the same pencil, Lee's is rough, calloused, and pulls back quickly. He stammers an apology and Gaara doesn't understand what's so embarrassing. The same thing happens every time he comes over to the dimly lit, messy apartment that smells like mold. Because of this, Lee is usually the one to come over. Gaara never asks again about the pink-haired girl in pictures all over Lee's room because his eyes look sad.

Lee's uncle never comes home before midnight but he always makes dinner and hopes anyway. He hasn't seen to his uncle in weeks, and it's obvious this bothers him. Gaara knows Lee is lonely, so he asks him to stay longer.

Temari comes home early one day and looks on in horror as Gaara helps Lee with his science homework. The black-haired boy greets her warmly; she stammers a reply and hides in her room with her music too loud. Kankurou doesn't believe her and he comes home early the next day, staring at Lee as he makes Gaara a snack.

Knowing what comes next, Gaara insists on going over to Lee's for the next two weeks. He doesn't want his father to see his new friend; he'd never approve and say something cruel to drive Lee away. Kankurou and Temari are punished for lying and glare at Gaara angrily, but act surprised when he apologizes.

He goes to the last track meet of the year and frowns when Lee doesn't fly like before. Several of the Leaf runners glare at Gaara, as does the blond boy Kankurou talked to.

"Your running isn't as spirited," he comments after the race.

"I've been through a lot of trouble because of you," Lee answers in a way that doesn't sound like a reprimand at all.

When several Mist boys start to make fun of Lee's legwarmers, Gaara snarls and they back away, knowing him by reputation. The blond boy doesn't glare at the back of his head any more, and later introduces himself as Uzumaki Naruto. After that, he often comes over with Lee.

When Gaara's father finally catches him with people over, Naruto's glare is so defiant he isn't able to say anything until they leave. Gaara is grounded again, but this time Lee sneaks over and talks to him from the bedroom window. Kankurou sees, smirks, and says nothing to their father.

Summer rolls around and Gaara lets himself be dragged to amusement parks, movies, festivals, and picnics. His father gives up and stops yelling at him every time. At the movies, Lee puts his arm on the armrest but starts to pull back when he realizes Gaara's already using it. "It's fine," whispers Gaara, though he doesn't know why. Their pinkies brush as Ino hisses at Chouji to stop hogging all the popcorn and remain that way until the credits roll.

Once Kankurou and Temari drop their elitism, they join the dozen teens from Leaf. Temari constantly fumes at a boy called Shikamaru, but later they're caught making out behind a concession stand. Gaara eats cotton candy for the first time as his sister tries to deny everything.

_So this is what it's like having friends._


	4. Chapter 4

The redhead decides he doesn't mind Naruto's rough pats on the back or Lee's one-armed hugs. Kankurou occasionally ruffles his hair and Temari sometimes embraces him if nobody else is there to witness it, and that isn't bad either. His chest doesn't feel so heavy any more, and not everyone remembers him as the boy thrown out of public school for violence. Gaara's still not sure why Lee freezes when leans he over his shoulder or reaches around him, but figures it isn't important until the frequency goes up.

* * *

_Lee stares at Gaara's chest._

_He looks at his shirt, wondering if something is wrong with it. The fishnet doesn't seem to be torn anywhere, and it was too hot to wear anything over it. Gaara stares back, expectant._

_After several moments, Lee snaps out of it and blushes. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I just, um," he wrings his hands a bit, "I don't know many people who wear shirts like that, so I wasn't expecting it!"_

_Gaara doesn't see what that has to do with anything, especially because that statement is inaccurate, but decides to leave it be. Arms over his head he arches his back and stretches._

_Lee gulps loudly and cleans his room with a vengeance._

* * *

When Lee's pathetic excuse for a guardian is called out for a three-week business trip, his mood flags noticeably despite the fact that he's seeing his uncle no less than usual. Gaara offers to spend the night, and they have a minor disagreement when it comes time for bed. 

"I'll sleep on the floor, you take the bed."

"No," insists Gaara, "It's your bed."

"You're my guest; of course you get the bed!"

He stares at Lee until the teen sighs. "Okay, we'll both sleep on the floor."

"That's foolish. We can both take the bed."

Lee turns white, then red, then nods shyly and squeezes himself into the corner. Gaara watches him for a while, eyes passing over the squirrels on his pajamas and his sleeping face. The borderline insomniac decides he likes what he sees and drifts off.

The second time, Lee doesn't squish himself up as much. Gaara stares at the strip of skin visible when his friend's shirt rides up.

The third time, Lee is restless and wakes up with an embarrassing problem which Gaara politely ignores. They pretend it didn't happen.

The fourth time, Lee sleeps naturally and his limbs flail all over, and the redhead isn't sure why he doesn't mind.

The fifth time, Gaara shifts closer than usual and Lee's arms curl around him automatically, which is surprisingly nice. The other boy smiles in his sleep, but runs from the room when they wake up like that. Lee doesn't stop apologizing until Gaara declares, "I didn't mind. It…was warm." Lee doesn't stop blushing until he starts making breakfast as a distraction, and doesn't speak of it again. Lee avoids him until Naruto yells at him for being stupid.

For their sixth sleepover, Gaara invites him over when he finds out his father was called to an emergency meeting and won't be coming home.

It feels strange wearing a shirt to bed in his own room, so he doesn't. Lee spends a lot of time looking elsewhere. Gaara stares at his collarbone and wonders why it's so appealing.

Once again, Lee tries to put the maximum amount of distance possible between them but it falls apart as soon as he's actually asleep. This time, Gaara rolls over intentionally and puts his arms around the other teen, wondering if it'll feel the same. He feels possessive and protective and it's warm enough to lull him to sleep. The reason he feels that way still eludes him.

He's always been a light sleeper, so he always wakes up at the same time Lee does. He feels his friend go stiff then try to wriggle out of his hold but Gaara pulls him tighter, stopping all protests.

"G-Gaara?" his voice wavers.

"I like this. I don't want to move yet."

Lee's hands are trembling as they press into the small of his back, returning the hug and pushing them closer. The nature of the embrace changes, and Gaara finally figures out what it was he's been missing all this time. His hands tangle in short black hair as he pulls Lee's face down for a rough kiss, awkward and needy. Once his friend gets over the shock, he's kissing back with every ounce of previously pent-up passion.

Gaara nestles against his friend, relishing in the warmth.

"I didn't know you felt that way about me." Lee's voice is soft, as if talking too loud will ruin the moment.

"I didn't realize until just now."

"Well, I suppose that's one way to confess. But, um, I mean, we shouldn't have…" Lee's face is red, then he changes gears and his eyes are determined. "Gaara, will you go out with me?"

Gaara thinks about kissing on a regular basis, on falling asleep next to somebody, and on holding hands. The red-haired boy isn't sure what exactly dating or love entails but figures Lee will be able to show him. He nods, and Lee looks so happy he wonders why his friend didn't ask sooner.

* * *

**Notes:** Edited since I'm uncomfortable posting lime content on FFnet and want to stay well within the T rating.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Gaara says nothing to his siblings, but Temari's room is next to his and she doesn't look at him in the face for several days after Lee stays over. Kankurou shoots him odd looks when his brother thinks he isn't looking. Lee eventually tells Naruto, who blabs it to everyone else within the hour. Most of them say he's lying until they see the starry-eyed look on Lee's face and the hearts doodled on his napkin. 

They are an odd couple—Gaara with his maroon and black wardrobe of buckles and fishnet and painted nails, Lee with his orange legwarmers and green turtlenecks. Gaara lets his hair grow spiky and wild; Lee keeps his meticulously straight. Introverted and extroverted, rich and poor, quiet and loud, artistic and sporty, the list of contrasts goes on. They don't particularly care, but the others go on about how they can't _possibly_ be dating until the group goes to the beach and they show up hand-in-hand. Sakura, who Gaara now knows is Lee's former crush and girlfriend of one week, squeals in delight.

Gaara hates water and can't swim, so he makes sandcastles. Shikamaru falls asleep so Ino and Temari bury him up to his neck in sand. Kiba plays Frisbee with his dog, Naruto steals Sasuke's swim trunks, Hinata collects seashells, Tenten and Kankurou start a volleyball game, and Shino goes fishing. Neji is horribly sunburned and is irritable (more so than usual) for the rest of the day, Chouji grills out, and they all live the end of summer to the fullest.

* * *

Problems arise as school approaches. The Leaf students throw a collective fit when Sasuke decides to go to Sound boarding school. Naruto is particularly adamant about trying to convince him to stay, which only drives the boy further away. After he leaves, the group is imbalanced. Gaara brings along an exchange student he met in Art named Sai, and there's a semblance of normalcy, but Sakura and Naruto aren't the same. The others try to comfort them but time is the only thing that will heal them. 

Lee takes Gaara to a glassblowing workshop, and the artisan is so impressed with his skill for a first-timer he is offered a trial apprenticeship. His father refuses to hear of it, but Lee arranges to sneak Gaara there every Saturday he doesn't have a Cross Country meet.

Their schedules are busy but they make as much time as they can. Lee refuses to spend the night again and Gaara doesn't see what the problem is.

Five months into their relationship, Lee's uncle is out of town again and Gaara shows up on his doorstep.

The black-haired boy launches into a long speech about why this is a Bad Idea and they should wait until married or equivalent. Gaara shuts him up with a kiss that quickly turns into more. When calloused fingers reach for his belt, all he can say is, "About damn _time_."

Lee heartily agrees. They are not patient people.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes:** I'm afraid it's slipping into cliché here, ugh.

* * *

One of the few days Lee's uncle comes home at a normal time he catches them making out on the couch. He throws them out, deaf to anything his nephew has to say. Lee is deeply depressed and Gaara can't convince him that the man isn't worth his time. 

When Lee returns home the next day, there's a note saying to collect his things before the locks are changed. Tenten and Sakura help him pack. Everything he owns fits into two large duffel bags.

Everyone in the group offers him a place to stay. When Kiba's mother hears what happened, she breaks a plate, punches a hole in the wall, fumes for half an hour, and tells Kiba Lee is going to move into Hana's old room until he turns eighteen. She won't hear of any debate, and when the dogs enthusiastically tackle him the matter is settled.

The black-haired boy insists on doing chores and paying rent, but never notices Tsume slipping the money back into his wallet. Lee was never particularly close to the Inuzukas before, but the family reaches out to him without the slightest hesitation. In a month, she's calling him her second son and giving him noogies. Lee finds his smile again.

Lee isn't comfortable inviting Gaara over to a house that isn't his, and the younger boy doesn't like unfamiliar territory, so they are limited to Gaara's house. Lee walks on eggshells when Gaara's father is home.

Gaara's father is displeased and begins berating him one night, then stares in shock as Temari and Kankurou move to stand behind their brother and glower.

"You never yell at _us_ when _we_ have people over. Give Gaara a break already."

Gaara looks at his siblings with wide eyes, wondering if this is what it means to have family.

Their father purses his lips and stares at his children as if they're strangers, then leaves without a word.

Business trips increase in frequency. They don't miss him


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes:** I decided not to elaborate what happened with Yashamaru in this AU. I'm leaving it up to the imagination, because I'd rather not go into how such a profound betrayal would happen in the real world. More attempts to bring in canon, hopefully it works out. The next section is still under debate as to if it'll be posted or not.

* * *

Ten months into their relationship, Lee gets the courage to ask about the lines of white scars on Gaara's arms. 

"They're old."

"I know. I just…want to know what happened."

"When I was younger, I thought hurting on the outside would make it stop hurting on the inside. It didn't work, so I don't do it anymore."

Lee is bewildered. Gaara seems defensive, almost _nervous_. He's never seen his boyfriend like this. "Tell me everything? Please?"

Gaara relents and tells him about his dead mother and uncle Yashamaru in monotone, as if it'd happened to a stranger. His hands are shaking.

When he's finished, Lee feels violently ill and overcome with anger all at once. For the first time in his life, the kind-hearted boy wants to hurt another person. He cries because Gaara won't, and hugs him like he'll never let go.

The younger boy decides not to tell Lee about the voice that used to whisper to him, the one that makes him terrified to sleep. Shukaku can wait until another day, when his boyfriend isn't already upset. It doesn't matter—Naruto and Lee have somehow silenced him.

**_ But I'm still here, _Gaara**

He shudders and tightens his grip on Lee. There are some things the black-haired teen is better off not knowing.


	8. Chapter 8

** Notes: **Those few coming from LJ will noticed this is actually chapter 9, as I skipped over the real part 8. Many pairings are briefly touched upon in this chapter, but not expanded upon, so don't fret if you see a mention of one you dislike.

* * *

The rest of the group fluctuates in who's dating who, but Lee and Gaara remain constant. Their arguments are rarely serious and always resolve quickly—mostly because Lee forgives Gaara instantly. They never even _think _of breaking up. 

Kankurou, who can't keep a significant other more than a month, makes faces and jokes about how unbelievably sappy they are.

Temari, who has love/hate relationships with Shikamaru, Ino, _and _Tenten, envies her brother for having it easy. Eventually she tires of the rivalry and pursues Neji, which proves to be an exercise in futility. It doesn't help her standing with Tenten one bit.

Ino dates everybody except Hinata at one point or another, some more than once. Eventually she declares she'll date the best kisser, who ends up being Chouji. When other girls ask why the (self-proclaimed) prettiest girl in Leaf is dating a fat kid, she snarls, "He's _big-boned_!" and proceeds to spread nasty rumors about anybody who dares insult her boyfriend's weight. When people ask Chouji why he's dating Ino, he answers, "Her heart is in the right place no matter what she says, and she makes a mean barbeque."

Sakura, who can't make up her mind if she likes Naruto, Sasuke, or Sai best, tends to wax poetic about how Lee and Gaara's relationship is _perfect_. Since she can't decide, she settles for beating the crap out of her boys in the meantime.

Naruto, still head-over-heels, endures it with a smile and doesn't mention how sometimes he thinks things a little more than brotherly towards Sasuke and Sai. As time passes, Sakura begins to give up on their former best friend but Naruto retains hope.

Shikamaru declares he's gay just so girls stop _bothering _him. Kankurou does the same because he can't stand the thought of there being even a _chance_ of having kids. Their attempts at dating (or in Shikamaru's case, not-dating) guys are disastrous. Neither young man is able to stick with his homosexuality, they settle for being bi and go back to dating girls when they aren't arguing with them.

Tenten and Temari date until they have a huge argument and ruin the secret lesbian fantasies of the male populations in their respective schools.

Nobody dates Hinata because she's obviously infatuated with Naruto and Neji glares murder at anybody who dares approach her. Those that make it past her cousin usually quail at the protectiveness of her two best friends. Kiba and Shino are exempt from Neji's ire since they've known her so long, and it's Shino who takes her to the school dance. Hinata is too busy looking forward at Naruto to realize she has two young men who care standing beside her.

Sai dating is an unholy terror like the world has never seen. He loves stirring things up and will do _anything _on a dare, which leads to quite a few problems. (Neji still hasn't forgiven him for stealing his first kiss, though says nothing outright.) Like when the artist nearly gets mauled by Gaara after he puts a hand on Lee's thigh and flirts with him. (Both Naruto and Lee hold him back, but Lee doesn't try very hard.)

Lee has trouble keeping track of it all and doesn't understand the concept of casual dating. Gaara doesn't care and wants people to stop making such a fuss—it irks him that things never settle down.

Yet no matter what happens, no matter how horrible the arguments get, they never stop being a tight-knit group of friends.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes:** This is the end of the main story. Side-stories and possible sequels won't be posted here, as things would get rather messy. I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are greatly appreciated.

* * *

When it comes time to look at colleges, debate abounds. Nobody wants to go to the closest and easiest to get into, Lownin, because it's a community college. Midnin is a step up and most of the group defaults there once they pass the entrance exam. Neji, Kankurou, and Temari get into Hinin University (Shikamaru could as well, if he applied himself.) Sai manages to get into prestigious ANBU. Gaara shocks them all when he's accepted to Naruto's dream college, Shadow, known for its selectivity and famous graduates. The other college, Dawn, is far away and has a shady reputation but is renowned for its ambitious students. Both Uchiha brothers attend, Sasuke only because he wants to show up his brother. Naruto, Sakura, and Sai try to convince him to come back to no avail. 

Gaara's siblings graduate a year ahead of everyone else and decide to split an apartment. They both realize they'll eventually drive each other crazy, but figure it doesn't hurt to save money in the meantime.

Lee realizes that he doesn't enough money saved up unless he accepts financial aid and takes the athletic scholarship to Low—the other colleges didn't offer because his grades are average. Being accepted into Midnin means nothing if he can't afford it. He won't hear of Tsume helping out, no matter how much she protests. His dream of making it into Hinin despite mediocre grades falls short.

When Gaara hesitates about going to Shadow because it's 4 hours away, Lee's decision is clear. "I'll work for a year to collect money to go to Middle. In the meantime," Lee's voice drops to a whisper, "Want to get an apartment together?"

Gaara nods—he'd been considering that as well. He likes the thought of living with Lee, convenience aside.

The runner proceeds to hop around in glee, hug the artist, and make extravagant promises about their future living arrangements with equally grueling consequences should he fail. There's an arm around his waist and Gaara feels this is how it should be.


End file.
